All About Powerboats: Understanding Design and Performance — by Roger Marshall

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Item # MH-62045  ISBN: 0071362045




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Your plain-language guide to powerboat design and performance.

• What's the difference between a modified-V and a deep-V hull? Or a planing hull and a displacement hull?
• Why does boat A have flared topsides and not boat B?
• How can I tell if a boat is adequately powered?
• How do I judge a boats seaworthiness just by looking at it?
• What are the advantages or disadvantages of twin engines or a stern drive?

Get answers to these and all your questions about powerboat design and performance in All About Powerboats.

If you want to know what makes a boat fast, slow, stable, unstable, seaworthy, comfortable, or ideal for the things you want it to do, here's a perfect place to start. Longtime boat designer Roger Marshall tells you what you need to know about hull design, engines, drive trains, steering systems, comfort factors, safety features, and construction methods. He translates the jargon, explains the key concepts, and offers a wealth of insights into what makes powerboats tick.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 — FACTORS IN POWERBOAT DESIGN: Powerboat Speed | Other Design Factors: Seaworthiness / Range / Comfort / Cost.

Chapter 2 — THE LANGUAGE OF HULL SHAPES: Reading the Lines: Profile View / Plan View / Sectional View | Features of Hull Design: Chines / Deadrise / Freeboard / Flare / Keels and Bilge Keels / Running Strakes / Trim Angle and Trim Tabs.

Chapter 3 — HULL SHAPES: Displacement Hulls: Trawler Yachts / Skinny Boats / Catamarans | Planing Hulls: High-Speed Deep-V Hulls / Stepped Hulls | Fishing Hull Shapes: Saltwater Flats Boats / Bass Boats / Offshore Sportfishing Boats | Semiplaning or Transitional Hull Shapes: Bow / Midbody / Stern | Summary | Common Questions: A Rounded Hull or a Chined Hull: Which Is Best? / How Fast Will It Go? / How Many People Can I Get Aboard? / What Kind of Range Can I Expect?

Chapter 4 — TOOLS TO HELP EVALUATE BOATS: Speed - Length Ratio / Displacement - Length Ratio / Length-to-Beam Ratio / Power-to-Weight Ratio / Cubic Number / Prismatic Coefficient.

Chapter 5 — POWERBOAT STYLING: Hull Styling: Developing the Sheerline / Developing the Bow and Stern | Adding the Superstructure: Avoiding Clutter.

Chapter 6 — UNDERSTANDING STABILITY Factors Affecting Transverse Stability: Form Stability / Center of Gravity / Chines and Chine Flats | Longitudinal Stability | Tender and Stiff Boats | Stability at Large Angles of Heel | Effects of Flooding on Stability.

Chapter 7 — SEAWORTHINESS: The Skill of the Skipper and Crew | A Seaworthy Hull | Seaworthiness Belowdecks | Engine Room | Seaworthiness on Deck.

Chapter 8 — COMFORT: A Comfortable Hull Shape | Onboard Location Counts | Stabilizers: Passive Stabilizers / Active Stabilizers / Paravanes / Dynamic Stabilization | Comfort on Deck: Easy and Safe to Go Forward / Easy-to-Climb Ladders and Stairwells / Easy to Work in the Cockpit or to Enjoy the Fantail / Fewer Steps between Deck Levels | Lighting for Comfort: Deck Lighting / Lighting in the Engine Room | Interior Comfort: Doors, Passageways, and Walkways / Bridge Layout / Sleeping Quarters / Bunk Dimensions / Bathrooms and Toilets | Designing for Good Maintenance | Storage: Electronics Storage / Galley Storage / Lockers / Refrigerator / Under the Cabin Sole / Overhead Storage / Engine Room Storage / Anchor Storage.

Chapter 9 — POWERING YOUR BOAT: Early Engines | Basic Engine Types: Two-Stroke Cycles or Two-Cycle Engines (Gasoline) / Four-Stroke Cycles or Four-Cycle Engines (Gasoline) / Diesel Engines (Inboards) | Outboard Engines: Recent Outboard Engine Developments / Choosing an Outboard | Inboard Engines: The Latest Gasoline Inboard Engines / Diesel Inboard Engines / Gas or Diesel Inboard: Which One Is for You? / Single or Twin Engines? | Sterndrive Engines: Inboard, Outboard, or Sterndrive? | Jet Drive | Drive Train Components: Transmission / Propeller Shaft / Shaft Logs.

Chapter 10 — PROPELLERS: Propeller Terminology | Increasing Your Propellers Efficiency | Common Engine Solutions: Vibration / Noise.

Chapter 11 — STEERING SYSTEMS: Wheel Steering: Hydraulic / Cable / Wire | Other Types of Steering Systems: Steering with a Whipstaff / Tiller Steering / Rack-and-Pinion Steering | Rudders | Steering with Twin Engines: Backing Down.

Chapter 12 — HOW A BOAT IS BUILT: The Mold: Making the Plug / Making the Mold | Laying Up a Hull: The Laminate / Interior Moldings / Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) | Evolution of Hull Materials | Core Materials | Resins | Putting the Hull Together: Production Boat Construction / Custom Boat Construction / Semicustom Boats / Safety.

Appendix. INFLATABLES: Puncture Resistance | Rigid-Bottom versus Soft-Bottom | What to Look For: Features and Construction.

About the Author:

Roger Marshall is the technical editor for Soundings. After designing for the renowned firm of Sparkman & Stephens, he founded his own design company, where he has designed boats from 15 to 165 feet. He has written extensively for the boating press and is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including recent first-place awards at the annual Boating Writing International marine journalism contest. He is the author of ten boating books.

All About Powerboats: Understanding Design and Performance — by Roger Marshall